Is the Condom the Only Answer?

Last week a friend came to my house who had taken her daughters to a concert by a famous teen singer. She felt cheated, because she had bought (very expensive) tickets to see a music concert and found herself caught up, along with hundreds of children (most of them between 7 and 12), in a campaign that undermined the education many parents have been giving their children. She told me that from the moment they set foot in the venue, dozens of young people were sticking stickers promoting condom use on the children. They did it while repeating phrases like “Think about your future: Condomize!” and “Save the world: Condomize!” Before the concert they showed a silent video of couples (in every possible combination) with big smiles on their faces. An image of a cross also appeared, and they showed a banana having a condom put on it. When the concert ended, they threw hundreds of condoms to the children, who asked: “What’s this, Mommy?”

Today I will not write at length about what this campaign is after or the economic interests behind it. I will only say that these initiatives, carried out in other countries for years, have not solved the problem of AIDS or sexually transmitted diseases, because it has been scientifically shown that condom use is not 100% safe. What they have achieved is to promote even more promiscuity and sexual activity from a very early age, as if it were just another form of entertainment. In many of those countries they have already realized the harm this has done, and now other organizations promote (with government support) abstinence campaigns that have produced very good results, teaching children and young people the dignity of their bodies and respect for the dignity of others, and that the only sure way to put an end to AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases is to use sex while being faithful to one’s spouse.

To those who promote and fund these condom campaigns I reply: what do we parents think about when we dream of our Venezuelan children’s future? First of all, we are very clear that their future does not depend on a condom. Fortunately, we have talked about these hot topics of sex (which our children run into from an early age because of what they see on TV, the Internet and so on) with them clearly and frankly, something that did not happen with our own parents. Many schools, parenting programs and parishes give interested parents the tools to learn and pass on what the human person is, what the body and its dignity are, and that sex is not a mere instrument of pleasure but something to be used, and enjoyed, within a commitment of love, which is marriage.

Many Venezuelan parents have spoken and will speak clearly to their children, because what they most want is for them to know the Truth and learn to recognize what is Right and what is Wrong, on EVERY subject. Afterward our teenage children, who have shown they are more intelligent than we thought, will choose what to do with the dignity of their bodies and with their lives.

And I remind you that the only thing that can save the world is people of integrity who can build a nation on firm foundations of values. A society where the dignity of men and women is respected in every respect (and where they are not treated as mere objects of pleasure). The future of Venezuelan children lies not in a condom but in their studies, in their work, in the values, respect and solidarity they develop and show toward others. In their being good citizens! We Venezuelan parents do not want anyone attacking the intelligence and morals of the Venezuelan family. We have enough problems already!

Remember the slogan “Leave my children alone.” We Venezuelan parents do not want immoral “developed world” campaigns in Venezuela. I say to those behind this: look your own children in the face and think for a moment: does my child’s future depend on a condom?